Sign up to be a SCET Innovation Fellow
Always Open Challenges. Start Playing Anytime!
- Register to start playing any time during the Spring 2022 semester!
- Participate in immersive entrepreneurial experiences
- Build genuine connections with community of SCET students, alumni and industry
- Learn new skills to launch your career
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Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made?
SCET founding director, Ikhlaq Sidhu, makes a guest appearance on the New Zealand cable morning show Breakfast, where he comments on whether entrepreneurs are born or made and explains Berkeley’s approach to developing entrepreneurs.
Grow Your Entrepreneurial Mindset
SCET student innovation fellows will engage with the program over 12 weeks from Feb. - Apr. through a series of in-person and virtual tasks and opportunities. Upon successful completion of the program, fellows will be awarded a SCET Entrepreneurship and Technology Fellowship Title that can be added to your resume/CV. Students are allowed to join anytime during the 12 week period.
How to Play
The SCET Innovation Fellows program is structured as a game to encourage students to push themselves out of their comfort zone and grow by trying new entrepreneurial experiences.
Spring 2022 Results
Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Spring 2022 SCET Student Innovation Fellows program! The program will return in Fall 2022 with a new series of challenges, prizes, and opportunities to grow your mindset and become more entrepreneurial.
In addition to the prizes listed below, all tiers will win the escape room prize with Cal and SCET alum and Prime Roots Co-Founder, Kimberlie Le.
Spring 2022 - Gold Tier Winners
- Lillian Wang with 200 points
- Akhil Venkatesh with 159 points
In addition to the SCET Innovation Fellows GOLD Certificate, Lillian and Akhil will also win a lunch with Professor Tsu-Jae King Liu, Dean, UC Berkeley College of Engineering.
Spring 2022 - Silver Tier Winners
- Amrita Bhasin with 147 points
- Mark Pi with 130 points
In addition to the SCET Innovation Fellow SILVER Certificate, Amrita and Mark also win a mentoring session with SCET Chief Learning Officer, Ken Singer.
Spring 2022 - Bronze Tier Winners
- Karen Alarcon with 107 points
- Midori Pierce with 103 points
- Rebecca Hu with 100 points
- Arav Misra with 87 points
- Yvonne Liu with 87 points
In addition to the SCET Innovation Fellow BRONZE Certificate Karen, Midori, Rebecca, Arav and Yvonne also win products from Back to the Roots, America’s #1 Organic Gardening Company and founded by two Cal Alums, Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez.
Spring 2022 Challenges
The SCET Innovation Fellows program lasts for 12 weeks during the Spring 2022 semester. Check back here each Monday to see new challenges released for the week!
NEW
WEEK 12
Challenge 32
Final Feedback Loop
Please give us your feedback on your experience participating in the SCET Student Innovation Fellow Program! Your thoughts and ideas are important as we iterate on this program for future semesters. All students that complete this survey will both earn 5 points AND be entered in a raffle where 5 people will win $25 Caviar gift certificates.
5 Points
Challenge 31
A. Richard Newton Lecture Series Archives: Marc Tarpenning, CEO Tesla Motors
3 Points
Challenge 30
Week 12 Challenge – The Elevator Pitch
2 Points
OPEN CHALLENGES
These challenges may be completed at any time before April 30, 2022 to earn points!
Challenge 29
The Future of DeFi Fireside Chat with Kevin Chou, Kevin is the CEO and co-founder of Rally, one of the first blockchain platforms where creators, fans, and developers together build a creator economy.
5 Points
Challenge 28
Newton Lecture Series Archives: Dr. Sylvia Earle, Internationally renowned oceanographer and TIME Magazine’s First Hero of the Planet
3 Points
Challenge 27
Week 11 Challenge—Customer Discovery
2 Points
Challenge 26
Newton Lecture Series Archives: Arvind Raghunathan, Founder, Roc360 & Haus Lending
3 Points
Challenge 25
Week 10 Challenge: The Bug List
2 Points
Challenge 24
Newton Lecture Series Archives: Kelly Palmer, The Expertise Economy & Former Chief Learning Officer, LinkedIn
2 Points
Challenge 23
Week 9 Challenge: Effective Mentoring
2 Points
Challenge 22
Newton Lecture Series Archives: Marla Beck, CEO of BlueMercury
3 Points
Challenge 21
Week 8 Challenge: Entrepreneurial Resources
Watch the introduction below with Caroline Winnett, Executive Director of Berkeley SkyDeck.
2 Points
Challenge 20
Innovation X Roundtable: Digital Security
Watch the SCET Innovation X Roundtable on Digital Security.
2 Points
Challenge 18
SCET Fellow Feedback Loop
Provide feedback on the challenges you have participated in so far for SCET Innovation Fellows.
5 Points
Challenge 17
Newton Lecture Series Archives: Patrick O. Brown, CEO & Founder of Impossible Foods
3 Points
Challenge 16
Week 7 Challenge: Environmental Factors and Innovation
Watch the introduction below with Professor Virginia San Fratello, Chair of the Department of Design in the College of Humanities & Arts, San Jose State University.
2 Points
Challenge 15
Newton Lecture Series Archives: Prakash Janakiraman, CEO of Nextdoor
3 Points
Challenge 14
NFT Creator Challenge
Students, this is your chance to work individually or in teams to create your very own NFT collection, and pitch it to a panel of industry experts. You will design the NFT and develop a plan to price, market and sell it online. The winning team will be able to showcase their NFT collection at the VERSE Immersive NFT Exhibit at the San Francisco Mint Museum and other locations around the country, and to sell it to the public.
Anyone who is interested in NFTs and crypto can sign up – no experience necessary and all majors are welcome! Before the competition begins, teams will attend workshops running through the basics of NFTs and blockchain to provide the necessary background.
Google Form for Participants to Register for the Challenge
https://forms.gle/jjX8wziKkq56BpSf6
Sign up using the Google Form above to participate. You will be invited to a workshop on March 15 and March 17 at 5:30 p.m. to learn more about how the challenge and how you can create our own NFT.
30 Points
Challenge 13
Week 6 Challenge: Consumer Analysis and Innovation
- Watch the introduction with award-winning data journalist and Berkeley lecturer, Dana Amihere.
- Think of a group of individuals that are not being well served by a product, or who are being totally catered towards.
- Talk to one of these individuals who represent the group you are thinking of.
- Write a short profile on them; ask 5 thorough, in-depth questions. Why is it important that they aren’t being served well enough, or are being totally catered to by this product?
2 Points
Challenge 11
Watch the Growth Mindset introduction video introduced by SCET faculty and industry fellow, Gigi Wang.
2 Points
Challenge 7 - Innovation X Roundtable: Future of Work
2 Points
Challenge 4 - Attend a Class Outside Your Major
- Video introduction with managing director, Ken Singer
2 Points
Challenge 2 - Entrepreneur Coffee Chat
- Submit a picture of you with the entrepreneur AND a blog or a YouTube video with a reflection on what you learned, what surprised you, what you could relate to, what you couldn't etc. (Maximum of 4 submission for 5 Points each)
20 Points
Challenge 1 - Selfie at SCET
- Take a picture/selfie in front of the SCET office.
- Introduction with SCET Chief Scientist and Faculty Director, Ikhlaq Sidhu
2 Points
Leaderboard
Certificate and Prizes
The SCET Student Innovation Fellows program offers the SCET Innovation Fellow Certificate for students that participate in the program. In order to receive the badge, you must qualify by completing one of the tier criteria below.
Certificate Tiers
Gold Tier Innovation Fellow ....................................
Silver Tier Innovation Fellow ..................................
Bronze Tier Innovation Fellow ...............................
Weekly Challenge Champion ..................................
Kaggle Winner ...............................................................
NFT Winner ....................................................................
157-190 points
124-156 points
80-123 points
Participate in all 12 weekly challenges
Win the Kaggle competition
Winner of Most Innovative NFT
Certificate Tiers
Prizes
*Students who receive Bronze, Silver and Gold Tiers are eligible for the following prizes.
- Surfing with an entrepreneur, Harry Tannenbaum
- Participate in an Escape Room with entrepreneur, Kimberlie Le
- Play video games with entrepreneurs Mike Li and Kevin Chou
- Lunch with Dean Tsu-Jae King Liu, College of Engineering at UC Berkeley
- Lunch with Rich Lyons, Chief Innovation Officer at UC Berkeley
- Swag from lululemon
- Caviar gift certificates
- Cal Athletics Tickets
- Back to the Roots food and flower home kits
- Prototyping session with Olivia Wong (1 hour), Senior Partner of Prototype Thinking Labs
- SCET Mentor Studio Session (30 minutes)-career coaching or start up mentoring
Program Details
Who is Eligible?
Any UC Berkeley student interested in Entrepreneurship and Technology
When can I sign up?
The application deadline is ongoing. Students are welcome to join at anytime throughout the semester!
Other Questions?
Slack @JenniferNice or email jennifernice@berkeley.edu for questions about the program.
Resources
Websites
- Berkeley BEGIN (Cal Entrepreneurship Resources)
- Founder Culture
- Web3 University
Podcasts
- How I Built This
- Berkeley Greater Good Science Center
- Brand New Blueprint by Smoketown
- A Slight Change of Plans
- Tech Buzz China
Host, Rui Ma, Cal Alum - Lab to Startup
- Brand New Blueprint by Smoketown, Host, Ryan Pintado-Vertner, Cal Alum
- Founders Church, Hosts, Justin Forsett and Wale Forrester, Cal alums
- The Knowledge Project
- DeFi MOOC
Books
- Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows
- Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson
- Range, Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein,
Tools
- Pitchbook - UC Berkeley students can access Pitchbook for free through the library to research startups, entrepreneurs, deals, and industry trends.
A special thank you to Professor Robert L. "Bob" Powell for his generous and insightful contribution to the gaming point system. Bob shared his domain expertise in game theory to develop the individual components in the point system and game tiers. Bob expressed immense excitement for the opportunities provided by the SCET Innovation Fellowship.